ICE 1105: Physics

Dr M Mahbubur Rahman
Professor
Department of Physics
Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342
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 Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Stationary/Standing waves
The resultant wave produced by the superposition of two
progressive waves, having same wavelength and
amplitude, travelling in opposite directions is called
stationary or standing wave. The stationary wave has no
forward motion but remains fixed in space.

ln stationary waves there are certain points where the

amplitude is zero. These points are called nodes and there
are some points where the amplitude is maximum. These
points are called antinodes. In fig-1 points A are antinodes
and points N are nodes.
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 Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Production of Stationary Waves

A long uniform string is kept in horizontal position by

fixing its two ends to rigid supports as shown in fig-1.
It is plucked at the middle. The transverse waves
produced in the string travel along the string to both
ends and are reflected back. These reflected waves
travel along the string in opposite directions. These
waves being similar have phase difference of 180".
They combine to form a transverse stationary or
standing wave. The string is found to vibrate in a series
of equal segments. 3
 Chapter 1:
Oscillations

Fig. 1: Demonstration of stationary waves 4

 Chapter 1:
Oscillations
The points are called nodes and there the string
remains at rest. Between each pair-of nodes,
the string vibrates with increasing amplitude
towards the centre, where it becomes
maximum. The points A are called antinodes. In
a stationary wave the distance between two
consecutive nodes or antinodes is equal to half the
wavelength of the wave i.e., NN = AA=λ/2.

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 Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Stationary Waves or Standing
Waves

Stationary waves are produced by the

interference due to reflections of two
waves also known as the standing waves.

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Stationary Waves
Stationary waves are also known as the standing
waves. The conditions for standing waves are:
1. two waves travelling in opposite
directions along the same path and in the
same plane
2. the waves have the same speed
3. the waves have the same frequency
4. the waves have the same approximate
amplitude 7
 Chapter 1: Oscillations

As a result of superposition (waves

adding/subtracting), a resultant wave is
produced. Depending on the phase
difference between the waves, this
resultant wave appears to move slowly to
the right or to the left or disappear
completely. It is only when the phase
difference is exactly zero, that is when the
two waves are exactly out of phase, that
'stationary waves' occur.
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Chapter 1: Oscillations
Stationary Waves

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Chapter 1: Oscillations
Stationary Waves

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
1. Two waves having the same amplitudes
approach each other from opposite directions.

2. The two waves are 180o out of phase with

each other and therefore cancel out (black
horizontal line).

3. The phase difference between the two waves

narrows. The resultant grows but is not in
phase with either of the two waves.
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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
4. The phase difference between the two waves is
narrower still. The resultant is larger but is still out
of phase with the two waves.

5. The phase difference between the two waves is

now zero. The resultant has its maximum value and
is in phase with the two waves.
These 'in phase' waves produce an amplitude that
is the sum of the individual amplitudes, the region
being called an antinode.
Between two antinodes is a region where the
superposition is zero. This is called a node. 12
Chapter 1: Oscillations
Stationary Waves

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Properties of Stationary Waves
1. separation of adjacent nodes is half a
wavelength (λ/2)
2. separation of adjacent antinodes is also λ/2
3. hence separation of adjacent nodes and
antinodes is λ/4
4. the maximum amplitude is 2a (twice that of
a single wave)
5. a standing wave does not transfer energy(its
two components however, do transfer
energy in their respective directions)
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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Theory of Stationary Waves
Consider two waves:

When the two waves are superposed, the resultant

displacement yT is given by:

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Therefore,

Let,

Then yT can be rewritten in a form similar to that of a

simple sine wave

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
The term A takes on the significance of being
the vertical displacement of the standing wave.

From the expression for A it can be seen that the

magnitude of A depends on the lateral position x.

Consider the magnitude of A at different horizontal

displacements (x) along the standing wave.

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations

Home Work: Self-Study

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Energy of Stationary Waves

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations
Phase or Wave Velocity

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Expression of phase velocity

The phase velocity is the velocity at

which the phase of any one frequency
component of the wave propagates. One
could pick one particular phase of the
wave (for example the crest) and it would
appear to travel at the phase velocity.
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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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Chapter 1: Oscillations
Group Velocity

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
The superposition of two sine waves
whose amplitudes, velocities, and
propagation directions are the same,
but their frequencies differ slightly. We
can write:

A(t) = Asin(1t) + Asin( 2 t) =

 1 −  2    1 +  2  
2Acos t  sin t  .
 2    2  

The frequency of the sine term is that

of the phase, the frequency of the
cosine term is that of the “envelope”,
i.e., the group velocity.
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Chapter 1: Oscillations
Expression of group velocity

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Chapter 1: Oscillations

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Relationship between the phase and group velocity

We know that,

Differentiating with respect to λ, we get

Again we know that,

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Again differentiating with respect to λ, we get

Now dividing Eq. (1) by Eq. (2), we get

Replacing u by vp 38
Chapter 1: Oscillations

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Phase Velocity & Group Velocity
The speed at which a given
phase propagates does not
coincide with the speed of
the envelope.

Note that the phase

velocity is greater than
the group velocity.
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 Chapter 1:
Oscillations

Problems and Solutions

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Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Problem 9

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 Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Solution to Problem 9

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Oscillations

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Oscillations

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Oscillations

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Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Problem 10

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Oscillations
Solution to Problem 11

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Oscillations

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Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Problem 12

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Oscillations
Solution to Problem 12

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Oscillations

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Oscillations

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Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Problem 13

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Oscillations
Solution to Problem 13

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Oscillations

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Oscillations

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Oscillations

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Chapter 1:
Oscillations
Home Work
Problem 14

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Sample Problems
(Book: Waves and Oscillations)

1. Pages 8-20: Examples 1.1-1.11

2. Pages 101-102: Examples 2.1 & 2.2
3. Pages 155-157: Examples 4.2-4.5

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 Chapter 1: Oscillations
Sample Questions
(Book: Waves and Oscillations)

1. Pages 94-98
2. Pages 118-119
3. Page 159
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 Chapter 1: Oscillations

Questions from Waves and Oscillations

Please also see the book:

Physics for Engineers

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